“For years, Irena Kalicka has been resolutely standing up to various types of fanaticism eroding Polish society, be it nationalism, intolerance, religious fundamentalism, political propaganda or football hooliganism. These boogeymen are no longer content with hiding in dark corners; nowadays, more and more often they come out to play in broad daylight, with increasing confidence. Instead of fighting them with deadly seriousness, the artist tackles these issues in a way that is firmly tongue-in-cheek. She looks at them through the prism of grotesquerie, ambiguity and humour. Harvest Festival is a time for fun, but keep in mind that these ceremonial scythes and sickles can be just as easily put into action, turning a carefree feast into a slaughter” (Anna Lebensztejn, curator of the exhibition at Bunkier Sztuki).

Irena Kalicka (born in 1986) is a filmmaker, a photographer and creator of collages, many of which are inspired by literary or anthropological texts. She is a graduate of the Leon Schiller National Higher School of Film, Television and Theatre in Łódź, where she majored in photography. She defended her master’s thesis in 2013, under the tutelage of Prof. Józef Robakowski.